Anyone wanting job security and financial stability should consider a career in the trades. At a time when experts are predicting AI will replace over two million U.S. jobs by 2030, workers are looking for ways to reinvent themselves in a career with high demand and opportunities for financial growth. Skilled trades offer competitive salaries without student loan debt, and because there is a shortage of workers, jobs are plentiful.
Welding training programs take between 6 to 18 months to complete and jobs pay between $45,000 and $85,000 per year. Aspiring plumbers can apply for an apprenticeship without certification and work for four years before taking the journeyman’s exam. Journeyman plumbers earn between $50,000 and $80,000 per year. Master plumbers need 7-10 years of experience and earn between $70,000 and $83,000 per year. HVAC techs can complete their training in less than one year and residential HVAC technicians earn between $53,000 and $90,000 per year.
If you’re looking for a new career path or graduating high school and want a career in the trades you could become an electrician, carpenter, bus driver, brick mason, heavy equipment operator, landscaper, etc. Think of your hobbies and skillset to determine which trade may be right for you. Jobs that are at the least risk to AI technology are jobs where people work with their hands or protect and serve.